Electronic scale systems have been developed in which an article such as a parcel or letter is weighed and the correct postage computed in the light of the zip or zone destination, class, weight and other postage determining factors. In the case of the mailing of parcels, parcel identification numbers are employed and a shipping record is kept of the parcel with respect to that number to trace the parcel if it appears lost or fails to arrive at its intended destination.
In the mailing of parcels in response to customer orders, it is particularly desirable to link the final act of mailing with the customer such as its order, an invoice directed to the customer or similar customer related data and preserve postage and customer related information for purposes of billing or verification or other account keeping purposes as may appear desirable. One could, of course, keep a written record of the postage information, but this tends to be laborious, particularly when the information often needs to be entered subsequently with related customer or other record keeping activities in a data processor.
Techniques are known and have, therefore, been proposed to automatically interface with an electronic scale system so that scale transaction data can be preserved within the memory of a data processor. In one such known proposed system the electronic scale system is connectable through an interface equipment to a computer. The interface equipment has a microprocessor with a central processor unit, a programmable read only memory (PROM), a random access memory (RAM), a data bus and a peripheral input/output capability. The normally available scale transaction may then be entered into the computer. The known proposed interface equipment is adapted to communicate with a separate display/printer terminal or a computer to provide an immediate record of the postage transaction for the operator and has the ability to establish data communication through a standard format with a remotely located computer to store scale transaction data.
In another known proposed technique for processing scale transaction data from an electronic scale, the data is recorded on a floppy disc via an interface device. As part of such technique, it has been proposed to have a computer poll the interface to extract the recorded scale transaction data. In addition, it has been proposed to employ a special shipping label printer so that labels can be read by an electronic wand. The wand would then automatically read the order number and zip code from the label for automatic input to the interface without manual keyboard entry.
Still another known device proposes a postage accounting system with which scale transaction data from an electronic scale is stored by customer account number and accumulated in an interface. The interface can print out account numbers, total postal charges per account, and with the addition of special devices provide keyboard entry to add or subtract amounts from accounts as well as enable the transmission of data to a computer.
Although these known techniques for assembling and processing of scale transaction and keyboard data are useful in the processing and mailing of parcels, the normal mail room environment often requires more versatile and adaptable electronic scale information processing equipment to improve the processing of parcels and enable electronic verification of the shipment of goods to a customer when this is requested. In addition, for high speed processing and mailing, the personnel involved in the weighing of parcels, postage metering and record keeping must be aided with precise but simple and clear instructions from electronic support systems. If difficulties arise such as from erroneous scale transaction data, or improper customer data, corrections must be easily implemented.